Category: Greece

Sand Between our Toes on the Beaches of Naxos

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The thing about Naxos is that the longer you stay, the more it grows on you. It’s the largest island of the Cylades and is the most fertile so lots of local produce.

We sailed past the marble arch on Nisos Apollonas and then rocked up to the small private marina in Naxos harbour and luckily found a berth. It’s a lot smaller than I remembered it, so it pays to get there early.

Deanne was keen to find a plate breaking Greek dancing restaurant and we hit gold in Naxos. They even poured a bit of fuel on the (concrete) floor and started dancing around that. We were very impressed.

The rest of our time in Naxos was spent wandering the small streets of the old city, especially beautiful at night with all the small shops and bars lit up, swimming at a couple of delightful beaches close to town, and sunset cocktails on Agia Anna, a beautiful sandy beach at the south end of town that’s not to be missed. It’s a tough life. Mt Zeus at 1000m is also the tallest peak in the Cyclades making a spectacular backdrop to our stay in the Hora.

In between we did a few boat jobs just to make sure we didn’t get too lazy. We also took on diesel from a truck that backed onto the pier – lot easier than going to a separate fuel jetty – although the downside is that you can’t use a credit card.

For photos of Naxos see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202275524122419&type=1&l=4b2fbf64e2

 

There’s Paros and then there’s Antiparos

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We needed to get to Paros a few days earlier than planned because of an imminent meltemi. Geez…how many times have I written “meltemi” in these recent blogs. At least I know how to spell it. And according to the Greeks its been a mild summers when it comes to meltemis.

We had a nice run under Geneker, two-thirds of the way across until the wind blew up and turned on our nose a bit at the end. The kite surfers were having a great time as the wind hit 30kts, just off Paros.

The wall at Paroikia in Paros was chockers so we anchored out off the beach. Wasn’t too bad. The bottom was a bit weedy but the anchor dug in and we deployed the fortress as a second anchor as well.

Then it was off to explore the town. The backstreets were similar to Mykonos but without the crowds. It was a very pretty place with a Frankish castle in the middle and a church dating back to the 4th century – how old is that. Wow.

We found some nice restaurants and had the obligatory drink at the pirate bar.

Next day we hired a car and drove around the island. First stop was Butterfly Valley, which definitely lived up to its name. Then we set off for Aliki where Kevin and Di were anchored up. We eventually found them and there friends holed up in a restaurant (where else) and we had a great chat and a beer or two. I’d stayed with Kevin in Sydney earlier in the year but hadn’t seen Di since the Balearics last year. A good but brief catch-up as we both had different cruising plans.

Our next stop was Naousa, which is also a pretty port and old fishing village on the north coast – a nice old town to wander around. We tried to call into Moriatis Winery – the winery that makes the aptly named “Meltemi” wine – but it was closed. So then it was back to the boat to check on the real meltemi.

Next morning it was off to the airport to pick up Dale and Karen. My form with picking up friends is at rock bottom and it didn’t get any better. The anointed flight arrived on time and everyone got off but no Dale and Karen. Ah! Checked phone and emails but nothing. It turned out that Dale coundn’t get any reception at Athens airport so had no way to let us know that they had missed their connection. In the end we correctly guessed that they would be on the next flight – and they were. Phew!!!

Despite being tired, they were keen to do some sightseeing, so off we went in our hire car and got on a short ferry ride across to Antiparos. It was a lesson in boat handling as the ferry captain went onto the quay without an anchor out the front, side on to the meltemi screaming down the channel.

Antiparos was very cutesy and we had a great lunch at a typical Greek tavern, with the octopus drying out the front, before driving down to the nice bay at the bottom.

With Dale and Karen fading fast, we did a quick wander around town, before heading back to the boat.

We new crew on board, we had to present ourselves to the Port Police, to get a new crew list stamped. This time, they wanted everyone in attendance and the young police officer was most particular. Previously in Greece, a couple of us had dealt with the formalities, leaving everyone else back on the boat.

One more day was spent checking out Paroikia, waiting for the Meltemi to blow itself out, before we sailing north-east to Ormos Ay Ioannou. Rod describes this bay as idyllic, with sun-baked rock eroded into wonderful shapes and clear turquoise water. I have to say – Rod nailed it. We spent a couple of days here, relaxing and swimming, tucked into the bay beautifully – the joys of having a cat.

We even managed a dingy ride over to Naousa to show the rest of the crew.

On the second night, we got our first bit of rain since we relaunched La Mischief in June. A novelty as a thunderstorm went over.

With boat freshly washed, we pulled anchored and headed to Paros’ near neighbour and twin – Naxos.

For photos of Paros please see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202245508492047&type=1&l=c2396cd14a

Thermal Delights.

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Another short 20nm hop and we were in Loutra, a very cute little town on the West coast. Kithnos is Greek for Thermal Island and we were intrigued to see the hot thermal hot springs on this island.

King Otto, Greece’s first King, built an institute there to make use of the thermal hot springs. Its pretty run down so we satisfied ourselves with the rock pool at the far end of the beach, which the hot springs run into.

The town is very small, nothing much there except for a group of restaurants that line the water. The wall is really small so our plan to leave early and get there early worked a treat. And it was 6 euro for the night including water and electricity – bargain.

Next day we left for Ormos Kolona (Sand Bar Bay) – a place I’d visited last year – but this year it was buzzing with boats and people swimming and sunning themselves off the sandbar that separates two bays and provides a stunning backdrop, with yachts in both bays. We spent a couple of days there, with two lines ashore waiting out another (short) meltemi. The water was exquisite and the view from the restaurant looking down the sandbar superb. I was nice to chill out for a few days.

With the Meltemi over, it was time to head south to Sefinos and then to Paros.

We got to Sefinos early, but not early another to get a spot on the very small wall. So we decided to anchor off the beach, which turned out to be a good option as it was a very nice sandy beach. As you sail into Livadhi, Serifos’ main town, you are struck by the beauty of the Chora, with its gleaming white houses, on the hill behind it. The walk up there is a must do at sunset, all the way to the blue and white church on the very top of the 585m hill. The habour views are once again spectacular.

Sefinos was where we said goodbye to Karin who was off back to Uraguay. The number of women on board had dwindled down to 2!

Next stop was Paros to pick up Dale and Karen, where the boy/girl ratio would tip a bit more in my favour.

For photos of Kithnos see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202245510652101&type=1&l=6cf6b6dd79.

For photos of Serifos see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202245505931983&type=1&l=e4fedcf001.

Back to Reality

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It was good to see the end of the meltemi and continue our Cyclades adventure. Our cunning plan was to head West to Syros and on as far as Kithnos and then head south to Serifos and then back to Paros to pick up Dale and Karen. Then to Naxos and then head South West to Mylos before island hopping to Ios, where we will catch a ferry to Santorini for a few days. Then back East to Rhodes and finally to Leros where we will put La Mischief on the hard for the winter.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Leaving Mykonos, we headed for Syros – 20nm away. We had a beautiful sail across and headed to Ermoupolis, the capital of the Cyclades. We pulled up to the wall stern to, right next to some fellow Aussies in Ric and Helve on Tangaroa. The wall is somewhat challenging with large ferries coming and going, creating large wakes that threaten to push you onto the wall. Gangplank management in the order of the day. But the plus side is the vibe created by all the restaurants, metres from La Mischief – great for people watching.

Ermoupolis was a great town. In the age of the steam ship it was a very powerful and important town and you can still see lots of mansions with exquisite wrought iron lining the streets. Some are still magnificent, some are abandoned shells of houses.

The streets are lined with marble, the old town is a delight to wander through and the granite rocks that form the breakwater could make a thousand brilliant kitchen benchtops.

The town is the largest in the Cyclades and has a couple of big churches, one Catholic and the other Greek Orthodox. We took a short sunset taxi ride up to a wonderful town up on the hill, Ano Syros with winding narrow lanes and whitewashed houses, then walked down back to the boat. It was originally a medieval Catholic settlement and still boasts a wonderful 13th century church.

With our dose of town life over, with its obligatory visit to the boat shop and supermarkets, it was off to explore the island. We headed across its Northern top and down o a nice little bay called Ormos Grammata for a lunchtime swim. It was too narrow for a nighttime anchorage so we kept going south to Ormos Kini, where we were reunited with Ric and Helve, who had circumnavigated the other way.

They had to re-anchor as they had just discovered a large uncharted rock right in the middle of the bay. Wow – not on charts and not in Rod. Beware.

After an Aussie restaurant night, and another day of enjoying the bay and the cute town it was off west to Kithnos.

For photos of Syros see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202204249620601.1073741937.1620379103&type=1&l=87ebed591f

 

Patmos – Greece’s Answer to Jerusalem

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We arrived at Patmos after a short sail across from Lipso and decided to anchor around the corner from Skala –  the main harbour town – in a nice bay called Ormos Meloyi. It was a short walk into Skala over a hill – perfect.

Patmos is the most northerly of the Dodecanese and has numerous nice bays to anchor in.  We were only there for a couple of days so we only got to try out one.

Patmos is famous for the monastery of St John the Divine. You can pay your entrance fee and wander around the monastery and its museum, before checking out the picturesque chora that surrounds the monastery, which is also quite impressive.

To get there, it’s a long walk up a big hill and after exhausting ourselves walking up forever, I can see why John may have been in the right mood to dream up the apocalypse and the Book of Revelations.

After checking out the monastery, we dashed down to the sacred cave where John put pen to paper and wrote out the whole Revelations thing. They say the whole place is like the Jerusalem of the Greek Orthodox Church.

History lesson over, we spent a few pleasant hours wandering the tourist streets of Skala. But the weather was looking ideal for a crossing to Myconos so we pulled up anchor and pointed West.

For pictures of Patmos see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202204276581275.1073741938.1620379103&type=1&l=b9b0d4c23c

 

Supermoon over the Venetian Castle

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Things are so close here that we decided to duck up to the next island from Kalymnos for a lunchtime stop, only to decide we liked the bay and couldn’t be bothered ducking back down to Kalymnos for our nighttime anchorage. So that is how we found ourself in Leros. We said goodbye to Court who was flying off to Boston via Rhodes and Istanbul. A nice guy with lots of experience and very helpful. In the short time he was with us, he quickly worked out our VHF antenna had been incorrectly fitted – another end of season job added to the list.

Next morning we shifted around to the east coast of Leros and anchored up in Pandeli, under the castle and the Greek windmills. Michael and Elaine wanted to organize their ferry tickets to Rhodes so we walked across to Lakki on the West side – not far.

Then we attempted to walk to the Venetian castle but took a wrong turn and Sherry hailed a painters van to take us back to the right road. Karin, DeAnne and I all piled into the back amongst the paint cans and other bits and pieces whilst Sherry travelled in luxury in the front.

Now on the right road, our weary legs found their way up to the castle where the views were magnificent. The little restaurant strip on the beach (and I mean right on the beach) was very pretty with the castle and windmill backdrop all lit up at night – worth a nighttime dingy ride to sample a local wine or two.

Next day the meltemi was well and truly in, so we stayed put and walked over the hill to Ayia Marina and then around the corner to Alindas, where we found a great little restaurant and bar (another Sherry recommendation), which Dee and I decided would make an excellent venue for a romantic dinner, complete with the supermoon. The restaurant was super booked so we could only get an early booking (7pm!!!), which turned out perfect as we saw the moon rising over the castle.

Next day we ventured out and sailed North to check out the White Islands. These are small islands at the top of Leros. Once again, Sherry earned her keep by taking us to a beautiful bay on Nisis Arckhangelos, where we anchored in 2.5m of crystal clear water. We swam around the bay and enjoyed the sunshine before heading down the other side of Leros to Lakki. Ah – it was good to have a following wind for a change after beating our way north for ages.

We got ourselves a berth at the marina, which turned out to be a lovely little spot. The staff were really nice (and very competent) and by the end of our stay we had decided to winter there. Close enough striking distance to Gallipoli and good tradies.

Here it was time to say goodbye to Michael and Elaine, who were catching a ferry to Rhodes to make their way home. We had another great time together seeing quite a bit of both Turkey and Greece, whilst enjoying Elaine’s cooking and Michael’s help.

I now had a Charlie’s Angel situation on my hands – myself and 3 women – now there’s a challenge. I dared not go anywhere near the galley.

We had some repairs to be done as our 12V motor on the watermaker wasn’t working and we had to rely on the 240V motor (it has both) to make water. Unfortunately we were burning through impellers on our genset like nobody’s business so this really did need to be attended to. The watermaker problem turned out to be a thermal fuse and the genset problem turned out to be a non-return valve that decided to turn its into a return valve.

Problems resolved it was time to move to yet another island – this time Lipso – again to the north.

For pictures of Leros please see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202129610274664.1073741933.1620379103&type=1&l=9feb07d97f.

Going Greek

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We got to Kos at 6pm and found it pretty crowded but we managed to find a place on the wall. Then it was off to the port police, passport police and customs. Everyone was really friendly and helpful and we got out transit log and paid for the night at the wall all relatively easily. Not too much walking involved.

A Greek fish restaurant was our just reward for completing the bureaucratic task list without incident.

That night we were supposed to pick up Karin, our new crew member who was due in at 10 past midnight, but I got the day wrong because it was10 past midnight. Thankfully, Karin eventually found us in the morning and all was well in the end.

With Karin finally on board, we left the wall and anchored off around the corner on the southern side. It turned out to be a lovely anchorage and we explored Kos from there. There was some nice little streets to explore along with the obligatory castle. Kos is famous for a guy called Hippocrates and we saw the tree (supposedly) where he came up with his famous oath. I am not sure however that trees live quite that long. Anyway, Hippocrates must have been a clever bloke, as he spoke often about wine and its numerous health benefits.

Next day, we headed off north to explore. We ended up deciding on a nice bay on east side of Pserimos, a small island just off the coast of Kos. Everything is really close together here. This bay was to die for – we were in Greek Island heaven. Crystal clear water over sand and a deserted beach (give or take the other 10 boats that were there).

We spent a couple of days there, swimming and hiking, before pulling up anchor and heading to Kalymnos, the sponge diving island. Again a short sail, but we got hit by a 35kt meltemi. Three reefs in, we made it into the harbour, where the winds was a much more manageable 20kts and then med moored to the wall. We met Yanni, who organises everything. Power, gas, washing, you name it – he organises it.

That night, we had Sherry and Court arrive – a couple of professional skippers who plied their trade around the med and the Caribbean. We would pick their brains for a week or so as they holidayed on board (as opposed to working on board).

Kalynmos is a very pretty spot, with a monastery overlooking the town. It’s quite mountainous and is known as a great rock climbing venue. Unfortunately a climber died a few days before we got there. It affected the towns folk greatly and there was an air of sadness around.

With the meltemi gone, we set off to explore the rest of the island. Sherry pointed us in the direction of a lovely little bay called Ormos Palionisou (Baia Isolavecchia), where mooring buoys have been put down by the two restaurants at either side of the bay. We got the prime spot right next to the water slide right close to the restaurant. And the restaurant was both cheap and very good –  so the mooring was exceptionally good value. And the bay was beautiful with steep cliffs either side, which attracted climbers as well as yachties. The water was once again clear so swimming was beautiful.

Our cunning plan for the next day was to head round the north of Kalymnos and stop off at a lunch spot on Leros which was right next door. Then we would quickly duck back down to Kalynmos and anchor for the night. However we were outdone by our cunningness (and laziness) and decided the lunchtime bay was so nice that we would just stay there. So goodbye Kalymnos and hello Leros.

For pictures of Kalymnos please see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202129600234413.1073741932.1620379103&type=1&l=e7ee7e7a6b.

For pictures of Pserimos please see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202129595714300.1073741931.1620379103&type=1&l=e52946163e

 

Greek Ruins – Up High and Down Low

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Next morning we left our anchorage and headed for Epidhavros on the mainland. We found a spot on the town jetty and after lunch, set off for the famous Epidhavros amphitheatre, about 30 minutes away by taxi.

The theatre is generally accepted as the best preserved in Greece and it didn’t disappoint. It seats 14,000 and the acoustics are amazing. Anthony proved it by delighting the crowd and reciting the start of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

I was sitting up the top and could hear every word clearly. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to hit the record button, and the moment was lost.

As well as the amphitheatre, there was a whole Greek town being excavated, along with a museum so we managed to take up the whole hour, whilst the taxi driver patiently waited for us, part of the package deal the taxis all run to the ruins.

Back at the boat, we had a quiet night before heading around the corner in the morning to find the underwater ruins that was on the tourist brochure. We had no GPS coordinates so we sent Anthony in the dingy to ask around. He found some paragliders who had seen it from the air and he soon found it in the dingy. We motored La Mischief over and dropped the anchor and then had a wonderful snorkel on the ruins. Weird.

Our next stop was Poros, one of those Greek islands that looked like a Rorschach ink blob. That’s probably not quite fair as Poros looks quite spectacular as is the approach to the island as you pass through the narrow gap that separates it from the mainland, busy with all the ferries criss-crossing the narrow channel.

We thought about anchoring but the anchorages close to town weren’t the best and we decided the town looked interesting enough to enjoy an evening at.

And it proved to be the case. The chanderly was good and we picked up a few things there. We ate at one of the restaurants near the town wall and were entertained by about 50 Russians who were having some sort of fun regatta for the week. We watched them all try and dock after their races, and then as we ate dinner, we could see their slide show and presentations. Couldn’t understand a word of what they were saying but they seemed to be having a good time.

Next morning it was u early to try and beat the weather before it came in the next day. But thats another story.

For photos of Epidhavros see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200510212550733&type=1&l=14d0be1771

For photos of Poros see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200510215790814&type=1&l=270b87f7c4

One Side of Greece to the Other

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Having popped out the other side of the canal, it was like being in a different Greece.

We immediately pulled the genneker up and sailed down the Eastern Peloponnisos towards our anchorage for the night at the SW tip of Angistri, looking across a narrow channel towards Nisis Dhoroussa. The weather had improved and we had one of those delightful afternoon sails under a bright sunny sky. We got there about 5pm and found a spot amongst a group of other yachts and power boats. We dropped our anchor in a lovely small bay and Anthony swam a line ashore so we could go stern to.

The water was soooo clear and a swim was the first order of the day.

It turned out to be a very entertaining bay as the next morning we were treated to a screaming match aboard a yacht sans mast, two boats down. The dog on board was not impressed, it retreated right to the very back of the boat. It eventually ended with the lady of the boat disappearing down below, with her parter soon pulling up anchor and leaving, no doubt to drop her off somewhere close by.

Of Canals and Bridges

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Having successfully found our way to Greece, it was time to go off and explore.

Our first destination was Levkas Canal, which cuts through the salt marsh between the mainland and the island(?) of Levkas. It also provides a useful and interesting shortcut, rather than going around the outside.

It was a bit of a hairy approach as we passed close to a sand spit next to an old fort, keeping inside a row of port markers. We were rushing to get to the swing bridge that opens on the hour and we made it with five minutes to spare. This bridge swings sideways, rather than up, creating a somewhat narrow passage into the canal behind. We were the only boat going south, but we had to pass 5 or so heading north, through the narrow opening.

We passed Levkas Marina, which is situated on the canal, where Happy Cat (another 421 we had seen in Sydney) had wintered a few years before.

The canal is marked by red and green triangles on tops of poles, with some regular bouys at the southern end. Quite a weird place.

We burst out into a wonderful cruising ground with heaps of yachts having a great sail in the brisk conditions. We sailed through the strait between Meganisi and Levkas, said to be one of the loveliest channels in the Ionian. Couldn’t argue with that.

Then it was onto Ithaca Island, the home of Odysseus. We gave the main port a miss and headed for a lovely bay around the corner at Ormos Skhoinos. It was wonderfully protected from the southerlies that were blowing. We dropped anchor in about 7m of water and had a refreshing swim, our first in Greece.

Next morning, we started our trek towards the Corinth Canal. It turned out to be quite a miserable day, with the wind howling out of the Gulf of Patras, along with a 1.5kt current. We battled to make much headway and called it a day, heading into Mesolongion, along a canal that cuts through a series of salt marshes. The entrance to the canal had some interesting fisherman’s houses on stilts.

Mesolongion is nothing to write home about – its claim to fame being the place where Byron died. We also had our first nice feed of Greek food, in the centre of town, amongst all the Uni students. We stayed there a couple of nights, waiting for the wind to die down, so we could continue our journey east.

We were med moored, with the anchor out the front and our back tied to the town wall. This was something we hadn’t done a lot of – in Croatia we would pick up lines for the front rather than use the anchor. This inexperience caused us to get up in the middle of the night in the middle of a thunder and lightening show and tighten up the anchor to stop us crashing onto the town wall. Lesson learnt, but we all got soaked to the bone, no doubt leading to my bout of “man flu”.

With the wind finally dying down, and the weather clearing a little, we left Mesolongion and headed back out into the Gulf of Patras. The wind was still on our nose, but manageable as we motor sailed the 12nm towards the Rion-Andirrion suspension bridge, the largest cable stayed bridge in the world. It was completed in 2004 and you can see it from miles away, and when you get 5nm from it you need to call bridge control to get instructions on transiting under it. Its quite a sight with four big pillars in the water. The middle section is for large ships, we went through on the south side, with tons of clearance. The funny thing is that there are still car ferries going back and forward, despite there being a bridge just there.

Once under the bridge and through the Straits of Rion, we were in the Gulf of Corinth, but still 70nm away from the Canal. So we picked out Ormos Anemokambi on the north side and dropped anchor there for the night.

Next morning, we were up early and heading for the canal, with a favourable wind for a change. We had thought about using an agent, but they wanted an extra 50 euro for their trouble and it was already 200 euro to transit the 3.2nm of canal so we gave the agent a miss.

We arrived about 1pm and called up the canal on VHF channel 11. We didn’t have to wait long as the hydraulic bridge that blocks the entrance dropped to the floor of the canal and we were off. There was a nice current running our way at 1-2kts.

What an amazing experience going through this narrow canal which is only 25m wide. The side tower 80m up at its highest point and there is 6m of water under us. The ancient Greeks and Romans tried to build a canal here but failed. Instead they used to drag ships across the isthmus on paved roads. Octavius dragged his ships across here when he was in pursuit of Marc Anthony. It wasn’t until 1893 that the Greeks finished off what a French company started.

At the eastern end of the canal, there is another hydraulic bridge, which dropped down to let us through. We then tied up to the wall next to the canal authority on the south side and paid our dues. Too easy.

And then we were off to explore the Aegean Sea.

For photos, see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200510221590959&type=1&l=0bd2bd843c